By Cameron Silsbee

Optional Kids Practice

Invite kids in your group to be with the adults for a few minutes. Once they seem ready to engage, ask them the following prompt.

1. How do you know what to say to Jesus when you pray? How do grown-ups know what to say?

Ask the kids if they would be willing to pray for the adults over the next week. Name 2 or 3 age-appropriate things the kids could be praying for. Tell them you’ll check in with them next week about what it was like.

Begin with prayer

Gather together as a Community in a comfortable setting. Take a moment in silence, in the presence of Jesus and each other. Have one person read 1 John 1v8-9 over the group and then pray to ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide your time together.

Debrief the most recent teaching

1. What did you take away from the teaching, and what has God been doing in your life this past week because of it?
2. What did you think about the different types of prayer that will be covered in this series? What stood out to you?

Read this overview

Jesus began his public ministry with a very specific call: “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” The idea of repentance is to turn from one direction and go a completely different way. This was an invitation for people to confess their sins and to turn into a new way of living in God’s Kingdom. The invitation resonated with the history of Israel, the people of God who were, time and time again, invited to confess their sins and repent from rebellion and toward faithfulness to Yahweh and his covenantal love for them.

For followers of Jesus who have repented and followed him, how do we relate to the ancient practice of confession? For many, images of a confessional booth within a Catholic church, a priest sitting behind a veil to listen to the list of wrongs you’ve committed, comes to mind. However, prayers of confession can take on many different formats in varied settings, sometimes with others and sometimes by yourself. The invitation is similar to Israel’s – draw near to the faithful love of God and experience it through forgiveness and cleansing from sin.

Confession begins simply with acknowledging the things in your life that are not in line with the way of Jesus. Attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors can be acknowledged in the presence of another person or by yourself. A commitment to turning in a different direction, repentance, follows. Prayer of confession doesn’t guarantee that God forgives your various sins; it lives into the reality that he already has. It gives followers of Jesus a way to address the relational hurt that comes from our sins and to draw close to God and his love once more.

Discuss the following prompts

1. How often do you practice confession by yourself during times of prayer? How often do you practice it with others?
2. What seems daunting or unappealing to you about confession? 
3. If you’ve practiced confession before, what did you find helpful or meaningful about it (please be mindful about how much of the specifics are appropriate to share with your group)? If you haven’t practiced it before, what do you imagine could be impactful about it?

Practicing right now:

If your Community has the time, break into gender-specific groups. Once you’re settled in your groups, have one person reread 1 John 1v8-9 over your group. Then, take a moment to silently reflect on the last three days. 

• Think about times when you’ve “blown it” or have felt some shame or remorse over an attitude, thought, or behavior. Do your best not to ruminate or wallow in what you think of, but allow it to come to mind briefly and then continue thinking about the rest of the days.
• Once you’ve reflected on the last three days, silently offer up what came to mind to God. Feel free to visualize handing things over to him or just simply recall those things in your mind and acknowledge (confess) them before God.
• Once everyone has had time to do this, go around the group and invite each person to share one or two things that came to mind. You’re invited to share only the things you’re comfortable sharing with the group. Once everyone has shared, have one person read this line from James 5 out loud: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” Have one person pray over the group, acknowledging God’s forgiveness and love.

Practicing this week:

This week, you’ll be spending time practicing confession. 

If you’re new to prayers of confession, set aside time twice this week to Practice confession. Feel free to follow this guide as you do this Practice:

• Invite God’s Spirit to be present with you. Take a deep breath or two to slow yourself down.
• Reflect on the last couple of days. Notice anything that you feel ashamed of, remorse over, or you know that was out of step with Jesus. You can jot down what comes to mind or just keep a mental list.
• Acknowledge these things to God. If you’re in a space to do so, say them out loud. Ask God for forgiveness. If applicable, talk with him about what you want to do to not repeat the same sins (aka, repentance).
• Read 1 John 1v8-9. 
• Close your time with gratitude toward God for his forgiveness and love.

Suppose you’re familiar with prayer of confession; set aside time to practice confession with another person. It could be someone within your Van City Community, a spouse, or a close friend. It might be helpful to explain to the person what you want to do during this time and what you are hoping they’ll do (e.g., “I want to spend some time practicing confession out loud. Would you listen to what I have to confess? Would you mind praying over me when I’m done?”).

Be prepared to share with your Community next week what the experience was like.

Close in prayer

End by having someone read this prayer from Ephesians 3v14-21:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.